1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sewer connection hoses for recreational vehicles, and more particularly to a device for holding such hoses when not in use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recreational vehicles generally have self-contained bathrooms utilizing storage tanks or processing systems. When the vehicle is parked such as in a recreational vehicle park or the like, an accordion type hose is connected to an outlet from the internal bathrooms and sewage system of the recreational vehicle. The other end of the hose is connected to the sewage processing system of the park. When the recreational vehicle is to depart, the hose must be disconnected at each end, flushed out, and stored in some fashion in the vehicle. It is common to have a storage compartment into which the hose is placed. However, due to the flexibility of the hose this task is often messy and disagreeable.
There have been attempts in the past to provide a more convenient method or system of storing the hose. For example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,347 to Mercer, an elongated cylindrical fitting, which connects to the waste outlet of the vehicle, has the accordion like hose stowed inside of the elongated fitting with a cap on the distal end of the hose. It is of course necessary for the diameter of the cylindrical fitting to be larger than the diameter of the hose, creating an even more bulky package which must be stored in the recreational vehicle. A similar device is shown in the patent to Knutsen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,595 in which a housing structure is provided into which the hose is stored when not in use. Again, a very bulky and awkward to handle device is disclosed.
There is a need for a simple, low cost hose holder which will occupy a minimum of space in the vehicle and which will be easy to handle.